A former presidential aide and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Umar Sani, has alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan has already obtained a presidential nomination form ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sani, who previously served as Senior Special Assistant, SSA, on Media and Publicity to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, made the claim when he appeared on a television programme on Trust TV on Tuesday.
His revelation has sparked fresh political discourse about the likelihood of Jonathan’s return to active politics.
The revelation is coming at a time the former President said he has been holding consultation across the country and across political and diplomatic circles.
This development has further fuelled high speculation that the former President may be considering and preparing for a comeback nearly 12 years after left office.
With all the speculations surrounding his possible return to the political landscape, the former President has, however, not publicly declared any intention to run or in which platform he intends to run, if and when he announces his intention to run.
Sani, however, insisted that the internal tensions within the PDP may have influenced Jonathan’s cautious political posture.
Dismissing suggestions in certain circles that the PDP is probably attempting to leverage on Jonathan’s popularity for political advantage, Sani argued that the former President’s actions already indicated clear intent.
He said, “The issue is not about whether we will extract commitment from him. What is most important in politics is action. If your action suggests you are interested, there are certain actions to follow. One of which is the procurement of the nomination form.
“He has procured the nomination form. In fact, he is about to come and submit the forms publicly. So it is not an issue of whether we are trying to bring or use him for our face-saving grace, whatever. No.
“The fact of the matter is that we believe that Jonathan is the right choice at this moment.” Sani said.
The opposition chieftain further expressed the confidence that legal challenges questioning Jonathan’s eligibility to contest again would fail, insisting that his eligibility to contest has already been laid to rest in previous judicial decisions.
Sani added, “We are very confident that the matter will be thrown out because you cannot relitigate something that has already been decided upon.”
Insisting that only the Supreme Court could overturn previous rulings, Sani predicted that the case pending before Justice Peter Lifu would likely be dismissed when it comes up on May 26.
He rejected claims that Jonathan’s supporters were exploiting his name for political relevance, insisting that the former President still enjoys strong emotional support among Nigerians.
He enthused, “Most Nigerians know him and are nostalgic about Jonathan. At the time he left office, many people felt the PDP was not performing, but now Nigerians have seen the difference clearly.”
Recall that Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, before losing re-election to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Since leaving office, he has largely focused on diplomatic mediation roles across Africa while staying away from active partisan politics.
If the raging speculation is true, Jonathan’s return would significantly alter the equation of the 2027 presidential race as a result of his national recognition and previous leadership experience.
However, legal questions around eligibility and political consensus within the PDP remain major factors that could determine his eventual participation in the election.
